kgraham10's review
2.0
Short story really. Mostly action and not much character or story.
Also disappointingly from the point of view of Joesbury rather than Lacey Flint.
Also disappointingly from the point of view of Joesbury rather than Lacey Flint.
fictionfan's review
5.0
Going undercover...
A summer night in London, and Mark Joesbury is steering a Marine Unit boat up the Thames. He's under orders but not from his superiors. An undercover mission is going badly wrong, his cover is blown and the bad guys are holding a gun to Lacey Flint's head...
What a brilliant story! Any fan of the Lacey Flint series must read this, and it would actually work fine as a standalone thriller too. In terms of time period, it crosses over with the ending of A Dark and Twisted Tide, tying in with things we learned in that one, while avoiding any spoilers for it. It's novella length – I'm rubbish at converting from Kindle length (881) to pages but I'd guess about 60 or 70. Long enough for Bolton to give us a really believable, satisfying story, with as much depth as most novels achieve, but just the right length to read in one session.
The plot is great and frighteningly credible, based on a terrorist threat, which is as much as I'm going to tell you about it. It's the gorgeous and lovely Mark Joesbury who's in the starring role for once, and he fills it perfectly, though of course Lacey has a part to play too. As she did in A Dark and Twisted Tide, Bolton brings the Thames to life, with its shifting tides and hidden dangers lurking beneath its moody beauty, running between some of the most important buildings in the UK. Her descriptive writing really is second to none at creating an atmospheric sense of place.
And tension! Oh yes! Brilliant build-up, fantastic dénouement. Pulse-racing stuff – can't remember when I last enjoyed a short story so much (sorry, James Joyce!). And as for the ending... trust me, Lacey fans, you'll want to have read this one before the next novel comes along. Which I hope will be soon!! The best kind of cliffhanger – the type that leaves you satisfied but also wanting more...
Can you guess I'm recommending this one? *turns triple cartwheels while blowing a horn*
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
A summer night in London, and Mark Joesbury is steering a Marine Unit boat up the Thames. He's under orders but not from his superiors. An undercover mission is going badly wrong, his cover is blown and the bad guys are holding a gun to Lacey Flint's head...
What a brilliant story! Any fan of the Lacey Flint series must read this, and it would actually work fine as a standalone thriller too. In terms of time period, it crosses over with the ending of A Dark and Twisted Tide, tying in with things we learned in that one, while avoiding any spoilers for it. It's novella length – I'm rubbish at converting from Kindle length (881) to pages but I'd guess about 60 or 70. Long enough for Bolton to give us a really believable, satisfying story, with as much depth as most novels achieve, but just the right length to read in one session.
The plot is great and frighteningly credible, based on a terrorist threat, which is as much as I'm going to tell you about it. It's the gorgeous and lovely Mark Joesbury who's in the starring role for once, and he fills it perfectly, though of course Lacey has a part to play too. As she did in A Dark and Twisted Tide, Bolton brings the Thames to life, with its shifting tides and hidden dangers lurking beneath its moody beauty, running between some of the most important buildings in the UK. Her descriptive writing really is second to none at creating an atmospheric sense of place.
And tension! Oh yes! Brilliant build-up, fantastic dénouement. Pulse-racing stuff – can't remember when I last enjoyed a short story so much (sorry, James Joyce!). And as for the ending... trust me, Lacey fans, you'll want to have read this one before the next novel comes along. Which I hope will be soon!! The best kind of cliffhanger – the type that leaves you satisfied but also wanting more...
Can you guess I'm recommending this one? *turns triple cartwheels while blowing a horn*
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review
5.0
A great addition to the Lacey Flint series. Hopefully there will be another full length novel in the future!
rly18's review
4.0
You can find all my reviews on www.itsbooktalk.com
For a short story this was very good. Of course I would've loved an entire 5th book to be able to catch up with Mark and Lacey but I'll take what I can get! This story is mainly narrated from Mark's perspective and I have to say, I really missed Mark. He's somewhat of a bad boy detective who takes a lot of risks in his undercover assignments. In this book, he's infiltrated a terrorist group who've got plans for something BIG in London, question is what is it and can Mark put the pieces together in time? Sadly, we don't hear much from Lacey in this one, although she does make an appearance which I was very excited about. The ending was great if not a little too quick and for the first time Sharon Bolton has left us with a cliffhanger of HUGE proportions!
If you'd like to continue on after this story you can pre-order and/or purchase Dead Woman Walking when it's released 4/20 in the UK and Sept. in the US and send Sharon Bolton proof of your purchase via her email listed on her website and she will send you a PDF of her next short story titled Lacey's Wedding!!
For a short story this was very good. Of course I would've loved an entire 5th book to be able to catch up with Mark and Lacey but I'll take what I can get! This story is mainly narrated from Mark's perspective and I have to say, I really missed Mark. He's somewhat of a bad boy detective who takes a lot of risks in his undercover assignments. In this book, he's infiltrated a terrorist group who've got plans for something BIG in London, question is what is it and can Mark put the pieces together in time? Sadly, we don't hear much from Lacey in this one, although she does make an appearance which I was very excited about. The ending was great if not a little too quick and for the first time Sharon Bolton has left us with a cliffhanger of HUGE proportions!
If you'd like to continue on after this story you can pre-order and/or purchase Dead Woman Walking when it's released 4/20 in the UK and Sept. in the US and send Sharon Bolton proof of your purchase via her email listed on her website and she will send you a PDF of her next short story titled Lacey's Wedding!!
itsbooktalk's review
4.0
You can find all my reviews on www.itsbooktalk.com
For a short story this was very good. Of course I would've loved an entire 5th book to be able to catch up with Mark and Lacey but I'll take what I can get! This story is mainly narrated from Mark's perspective and I have to say, I really missed Mark. He's somewhat of a bad boy detective who takes a lot of risks in his undercover assignments. In this book, he's infiltrated a terrorist group who've got plans for something BIG in London, question is what is it and can Mark put the pieces together in time? Sadly, we don't hear much from Lacey in this one, although she does make an appearance which I was very excited about. The ending was great if not a little too quick and for the first time Sharon Bolton has left us with a cliffhanger of HUGE proportions!
If you'd like to continue on after this story you can pre-order and/or purchase Dead Woman Walking when it's released 4/20 in the UK and Sept. in the US and send Sharon Bolton proof of your purchase via her email listed on her website and she will send you a PDF of her next short story titled Lacey's Wedding!!
For a short story this was very good. Of course I would've loved an entire 5th book to be able to catch up with Mark and Lacey but I'll take what I can get! This story is mainly narrated from Mark's perspective and I have to say, I really missed Mark. He's somewhat of a bad boy detective who takes a lot of risks in his undercover assignments. In this book, he's infiltrated a terrorist group who've got plans for something BIG in London, question is what is it and can Mark put the pieces together in time? Sadly, we don't hear much from Lacey in this one, although she does make an appearance which I was very excited about. The ending was great if not a little too quick and for the first time Sharon Bolton has left us with a cliffhanger of HUGE proportions!
If you'd like to continue on after this story you can pre-order and/or purchase Dead Woman Walking when it's released 4/20 in the UK and Sept. in the US and send Sharon Bolton proof of your purchase via her email listed on her website and she will send you a PDF of her next short story titled Lacey's Wedding!!
cocahina's review
5.0
Wow! For such a short piece of writing, this one packs a punch!
Loose ends from A Dark and Twisted Tide are tied up, we get an insider peek at Joesbury's undercover world, and the Lacey/Mark drama is propelled massively forward.
The wait for the next installment is going to seem interminable!
Loose ends from A Dark and Twisted Tide are tied up, we get an insider peek at Joesbury's undercover world, and the Lacey/Mark drama is propelled massively forward.
The wait for the next installment is going to seem interminable!
fxtrtr's review
5.0
I don't think I've picked up a book with the name Sharon Bolton on it that I didn't like. This book isn't any different.
In the last Lacey Flint novel, we didn't see much of Joesbury - he was off on an undercover assignment, but Lacey knew he was watching her even when she couldn't see him. Joesbury was trying to infiltrate a dangerous and deadly gang and he wasn't the only cop working undercover. Unsure of who or what the gang's target is - Joesbury gets himself in deeper than he expected when he is put to the test and soon things spin out of control when all too late he learns his cover is blown.
In the last Lacey Flint novel, we didn't see much of Joesbury - he was off on an undercover assignment, but Lacey knew he was watching her even when she couldn't see him. Joesbury was trying to infiltrate a dangerous and deadly gang and he wasn't the only cop working undercover. Unsure of who or what the gang's target is - Joesbury gets himself in deeper than he expected when he is put to the test and soon things spin out of control when all too late he learns his cover is blown.
si0bhan's review
4.0
Sharon Bolton is one of my favourite authors; I will pick up anything with her name on it. My favourite, however, is her Lacey Flint work. Anything and everything Lacey Flint related ends up in my hands without me looking too hard at what it is. Hell, Sharon Bolton could write a recipe to make Lacey’s favourite meal and I would grab it without a second thought – such is my love for the series.
One thing I’ve always wanted, however, is a Mark story. I love his character; I’ve always wanted to read a story that follows his world. Part of me has always wanted to read his older days, back when he was a younger officer, but reading a present day Mark story was just as fun. It allowed me to see into his world, it allowed me to see him as a more rounded character. I admit that I wanted more from this, that I would have favoured a full-length novel, but this was enough to satisfy my desire for the time being.
Whilst Here Be Dragons was a great short story, it wasn’t quite as powerful as the main series. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t filled with all the twists and turns you usually find in a Sharon Bolton novel. It had enough for a story of this length – yet when I compare it to the other Lacey Flint short story, If Snow Hadn’t Fallen, it seemed as though events progressed far too quickly without the mystique that could have been applied.
The events that occurred seemed to be less about creating a mini-mystery and more about developing Mark. As much as I loved the development of Mark, I’ll admit that I wanted more from the thriller events. A lot did happen, there were events that left me smiling, but it wasn’t the edge of my seat read I’m so used to seeing from Sharon Bolton.
Ergo, it made for a fun quick read but it wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be.
I will say, however, that it has left me super eager for another Lacey Flint story. I know Sharon Bolton is taking a break and writing a number of standalone novels – all of which have proven to be wonderful to date – yet the ending left me impatient to see where this story goes next. In other words, when the next Lacey Flint book is released expect me to go a little crazy over it.
One thing I’ve always wanted, however, is a Mark story. I love his character; I’ve always wanted to read a story that follows his world. Part of me has always wanted to read his older days, back when he was a younger officer, but reading a present day Mark story was just as fun. It allowed me to see into his world, it allowed me to see him as a more rounded character. I admit that I wanted more from this, that I would have favoured a full-length novel, but this was enough to satisfy my desire for the time being.
Whilst Here Be Dragons was a great short story, it wasn’t quite as powerful as the main series. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t filled with all the twists and turns you usually find in a Sharon Bolton novel. It had enough for a story of this length – yet when I compare it to the other Lacey Flint short story, If Snow Hadn’t Fallen, it seemed as though events progressed far too quickly without the mystique that could have been applied.
The events that occurred seemed to be less about creating a mini-mystery and more about developing Mark. As much as I loved the development of Mark, I’ll admit that I wanted more from the thriller events. A lot did happen, there were events that left me smiling, but it wasn’t the edge of my seat read I’m so used to seeing from Sharon Bolton.
Ergo, it made for a fun quick read but it wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be.
I will say, however, that it has left me super eager for another Lacey Flint story. I know Sharon Bolton is taking a break and writing a number of standalone novels – all of which have proven to be wonderful to date – yet the ending left me impatient to see where this story goes next. In other words, when the next Lacey Flint book is released expect me to go a little crazy over it.
stephaniesbookreviews's review
4.0
A pretty short, well-paced story told from entirely Joesbury's POV. We get the whole story of what he was doing during the events of "A Dark and Twisted Tide", plus a little more action. The ending included some major Joesbury-Lacey Feels and I can not believe that the author hasn't even announced yet when the next book in this series will be. I need more!